By Rita Berrada, Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco
As a student involved in a programme focused on open education, one thing strikes me as deeply surprising: whilst knowledge has never been more accessible, it remains difficult for many students to obtain.
Today, with the internet, thousands of educational resources exist: online courses, articles, videos, e-books. In theory, learning has never been easier. Yet, in practice, access to knowledge remains unequal.
This paradox strikes me.
I have realised that many students around me still rely exclusively on the materials provided in class. Not because they lack curiosity, but because they do not know where to look, or do not have access to quality resources. Sometimes, scientific articles are paywalled, books are expensive, and the most comprehensive educational platforms aren’t always free. This creates a form of silent injustice.
What surprises me even more is that Open Educational Resources (OERs) already exist. They are often of high quality, freely accessible, and designed to be shared and adapted. Yet they remain largely underused.
Why is this?
Perhaps because they are not promoted enough within educational institutions. Perhaps also because students are not trained to learn independently. Or perhaps because the education system values ‘official’ resources more highly than open resources.
But what I have observed in this programme is the full potential of open education.
When students discover these resources, something changes. They become more independent, more confident, and above all more engaged in their learning. They are no longer merely consumers of knowledge, but active participants in their own education. It is a powerful transformation.
What surprises me, therefore, is not just the existence of these barriers, but the fact that we are not doing more to remove them. Open education has the potential to democratise access to knowledge, reduce inequalities and give everyone the opportunity to learn at their own pace.
But for that to happen, it must be better integrated into educational practices.
Perhaps the real challenge is not to create more content, but to make what already exists visible. To train students to search for, evaluate and use these resources. And above all, to recognise that learning is not confined to the classroom.
Because, ultimately, if knowledge is truly open, why isn’t it open to everyone?
